This is the year of the sukuk. A jumbo Islamic offering from Qatar last week helped push total international issuance for 2012 to more than US$12.5bn, well above the US$10.6bn high watermark set for the whole of last year. Limitations remain, but the market is showing signs of deepening as well as expanding.
Boosted by local demand, which far outstrips supply, Sharia-compliant instruments have become one of the Gulf’s most popular exports. An increasing proportion of sukuk are being placed abroad, helped by regional issuers adopting larger sizes and longer tenors...............................................Full Article: Source